Goblin
Goblins were the most loyal followers of the Emperor, and perhaps the most numerous of his servants. A scourge on the known world since time immemorial, goblins are brutes and louts of the first degree, spreading fear and terror simply by being mentioned. Their murderous habits, gearing towards constant and ever escalating warfare, and their mere ability to bring war and barbarism to all corners of the lands they trek have given the Goblins a fearsome reputation. In a more practical term, goblins simply live to fight. There are tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of goblins living in the Whispy Woods, divided into many different rival clans, tribes, cultures, and raiding parties. Occasionally, they unite behind a single chieftain known as a gormash (meaning "high one" in goblish) as they were under the goblin Grimmsley. Goblins are known for producing large, brutal armies of difficult-to-kill troops, usually supported by a variety of allies. Such are their skills on the battlefield that the majority of the most destructive campaigns ignited by the Goblins are more often led by a gormash of great strength and cunning. They are an overly quarrelsome lot and if they find themselves without an enemy, they will often pummel each other just to keep their spirits up. Goblins naturally take their skills for granted and regard all others as weak, soft-headed and foolish - an arrogance that usually leads to their downfall. Physical Description A typical Goblin is a naturally diminutive creature standing shorter than an average man. The largest can reach near-human height, but they are almost always shorter, and some are as small as dwarves. Their overall appearances tend towards the grotesque: all were of roughly humanoid shape, with short legs and long arms, and of varying sizes. They have beady eyes, a generally foul demeanour, and are naturally hairless. Their skin is perpetually grimy, and their jaws are lined with vicious fangs which jut out from their mouths. In fact, many a goblin sharpen their teeth by chewing on rocks and other hard materials. Normally four feet tall, they can be up to five feet tall when stretched out of their characteristic stoop. The bigger and stronger a Goblin is, the more he is revered and respected. Another strange characteristic about the Goblins is their ability to grow in both strength and stature as they grow older. As a Goblin ages and wins more battles, he would begin to grow at an extraordinary rate, to such an extent that, should he not be beaten by an even bigger and stronger foe in battle, the Goblin would continue to grow for the rest of his life. In fact, it is said that a Goblin can never truly die of old age, for by then, he would have already been beaten by a foe even bigger than himself, or just simply killed outright. Behavior and Culture Goblins are (and always have been) a miserable race of ruthless thieves and vicious cutthroats, fighting with reckless ferocity and delighting in the slaughter and torture of their foes. According to the Emperor, goblins have "a love for war." Similar to their master, all goblins see peace and kindness as laughable concepts, and cannot comprehend love or affection for anyone. They have no concept of pity; to any goblin, the weak are simply weak, and are beneath them in society. While often lacking in terms of intelligence, cunning, and wit, goblins are no fools. They make no beautiful things, but many clever ones including machines, tools, weapons, and instruments torture, and were delighted by wheels, engines, and explosions. They could tunnel and mine as well as any but the most skilled dwarves, though they were often untidy and dirty. Goblin society consists of many different cultures, tribes and clans, with some reasonably refined, and others more hostile. Some recognize chieftains, while others exist in a perpetual state of conflict, warring against each other and themselves. Others travel in roving bands that scavenge for food and hunt whatever than can find. Most Goblins are extremely weak as individuals, and so they would naturally band together in large groups or mobs (called a "horde") as a form of protection. Regardless of their composition, however, most goblin tribes are formed around a hard-fighting core of goblish warriors. Leadership over the tribes almost always belongs to the largest and strongest goblin who will impose his rule by any means necessary. Rivals are defeated in savage duels, and most duels are not meant to be fair to begin with. Ever the ravenous type, goblins are aggressive scavengers and opportunistic carnivores (with a taste for everything from rotting carcasses to any game they can hunt, and even in-species cannibalism). The Emperor supposedly promised them man-flesh as a treat, which they crave. Clans Goblins can be found just about anywhere, but are often divided up between several distinct clans or tribes, some of which have long been bitter enemies with each other. Most are fairly unique in their culture or physiology than the more common goblin. Some of these clans or groups include: * Moon-Goblins, which were most famous for living in deep tunnels and pits underground, with an intense aversion to sunlight. * Wood-Goblins, who live exclusively within forests, hence their namesake, where their particularly destructive habits make them an all too-common threat for many rural communities. * Hill-Dwellers, goblins that have adapted to mountainous and hilly areas who are known for being the best equipped of the goblin tribes, as well as the most disciplined. * River Clans, goblins which have adapted to aquatic regions and are often found in or near rivers. * Cave-Goblins, known for residing in caves, and for their ritual practice of cannibalism. * Snotbellies, goblins which are so dull-witted and simple-natured in behavior that they serve no purpose in society other than mere slaves or emergency food. Common Goblins '''are the broadest sub-grouping of the goblin species. They can vary greatly in habits and skin color, but all of them are universally hideous. Common goblins are often used as the primary labor force for their tribes, often doing menial acts and labors such as hunting, building, herding and crafting. While they lack the size and brute strength of trolls or giants, they are considerably far more cunning and intelligent by comparison. Goblins possess just enough intelligence to forge weapons and build crude buildings. These goblins tend to be semi-nomadic hunters, though some of them form villages of their own. In the Fifth Age, a new breed of goblin was created by the Emperor, called '''Berserkers. Unlike normal goblins, these creatures were unable to think rationally and could easily be sent into a violent frenzy at the slightest provocation. Rarely speaking, and only communicating with bestial growls and hisses, the berserkers were tremendously strong and even more savage than their cousins. Able to cut off limbs and heads with ease, snap necks with a single hand, and unable to feel pain of any kind, even severing their limbs or heads could not end their rampage. Oddly enough, a small number of berserkers served as General Grimmsley’s personal sentries. Military The Goblin Army is the most prominent organization amongst the goblins where many of them find their employment. From the mightiest Gormash to the feeblest Snotbelly, the goblin race lives only for war. Violence and warfare is deeply rooted within the goblins, and no amount of enchantment can ever change that single mindset. Upon the day a mighty gormash of sufficient strength and cunning arises amongst the tribes, he gathers alongside him as many goblins as he possibly can and launch an earth-shattering campaign of destruction that has the potential to destroy the Whispy Woods in a matter of days. On one occasion, these violent campaigns led to what became the Goblin Wars almost 12,000 years ago. Goblin warfare is often just as unpredictable and unconventional as the goblins themselves. Tactics employed by the goblins are diverse, but probably the most common strategy is a simple frontal assault. Especially in most of their armies, the goblins lack the strategic intellect to devise and execute complicated battle strategies on the field of battle. This usually stems from the goblins' animosity against one-another, where different mobs of them would fight amongst themselves over the most trivial of issues, even when the whole tribe is engaged in battle. As such, it is particularly important for a gormash and his retinue of enforcers to always assert his harsh rule upon his subjects at an almost daily basis, lest the battle would turn into an all-out brawl that can spiral out of control. On the battlefield, it is common practice for punch-ups, scrums, and impromptu combat to occur in anticipation of the coming bloodbath. Being so naturally violent, few goblin warriors are known to kill several of their own brawling kin just to keep them in line. Should there be brawls springing up amongst the ranks, the largest warriors are often sent to quell the infighting before it gets out of control. However, should the situation demands it, said warriors have also been known to fight in the thickest of the fighting, where their toughness and armored bodies can endure the worst the enemy can throw at them. Interestingly, while a goblin's front is usually heavily armored in battle, their back is left free of it. They do this because to wear armor on their backs implies that they would even consider retreating from the battlefield, which is shameful to their warrior ways. If one should find a goblin with armor on their backs, they are executed on the spot. A unit of Goblin warriors carry a wide range of weapons into battle, including hunting spears, crude stone axes, bloodied clubs, rusted swords, wooden shields, and occasionally looted wargear. Many Goblins, however, prefer to kill their foes at a safe distance, utilizing the use of primitive bows and poison-tipped darts to tackle larger or more powerful opponents. Said archers have a savage tendency to shoot at any passer-by that just so happens to walk by their camp as a means of "target practice". They are never known for their accuracy, but the ferocity of their volleys prove dangerous enough that it can still decimate enemy regiments in a hail of crude arrow-tips. Goblins do not mine nor smelt and there are few smiths and fewer forges in their society; the only metal armor that they wear are bits and pieces taken from the corpses of their foes, typically after a battle. In large numbers and with some proper encouragement, a goblin army on the offense would almost always outnumber their opponents by nearly ten to one, using their overwhelming numbers as a way to smother their enemy.